Religion in the Early Vedic Period

The Early Vedic Period or the Rig Vedic period began in 1500 BC and continued up to 1000 BC. The religion during this period was simple, and people worshipped the natural forces – the sky, the sun, the moon, the thunder, the wind, the dawn, and the air. To praise their Gods, the Vedic people composed hymns and offered animal sacrifice. The Rig Vedic people worshipped a total of thirty-three Gods and Goddesses. These Gods and Goddesses were divided into three categories – terrestrial, aerial, and celestial. The people believed in Karma, that is, they believed that a person would be punished or rewarded according to their deeds.

Mode of Worship

The Early Vedic people followed a simple mode of worship. They worshipped the natural forces, and their religion primarily consisted of some obligations and prayers. Hymns were an important part of the religion. The Vedic people chanted hymns to praise their Gods. They also performed certain ritual sacrifices known as yajnas to please their Gods. Apart from offering animal sacrifices, they offered fruits, milk, ghee, wine, grains, etc., by throwing them into the fire as part of yajnas. The fire was considered sacred and believed to act as an intermediary between man and God. Animals like cows, horses, bulls, buffaloes, and rams were offered as sacrifices. The Early Vedic people did not build any temples or shrines. They also did not worship any idols or images of Gods.

Religious Beliefs

The theory of rebirth and life after death was not properly formed in this period, and the idea was very vague. They believed that when a person died, their soul departed to the ‘Pitralok’ (land of fathers). There, the soul was received by Yama, who rewarded or punished a person according to their deeds. The idea of transmigration had not developed properly during this period. Even though the Rig Vedic people worshipped many Gods and Goddesses, they still believed in the concept of one God who had different names. They believed in the idea of one supreme power governing the entire universe. The Religion followed by the Rig Vedic people, that is, worshipping forces of nature and offering sacrifice, formed the base of Hinduism. Henotheism or Katheoneotheism is found in the hymns of the Early Vedic period, that is, praising one God but not denying the others.

Important Gods of the Early Vedic Period

The people in the Early Vedic period worshipped the natural forces. They believed that God was capable of conferring both blessings and punishment on humankind. The Gods were divided into three categories – Terrestrial, Aerial, and Celestial:

• Terrestrial Gods – Agni, Soma, Brihaspati, Prithvi
• Aerial Gods – Rudra, Vayu, Indra, Maruts, Prajanya
• Celestial Gods – Varuna, Dyayus, Surya, Savitri, Mitra, Vishnu, Asvin, Usha, Pusha

The terrestrial Gods were also known as Prithvisthana, the aerial Gods were otherwise known as the Antarishastana, and the celestial Gods were known as dyusthana. Indra was the most important God during the Early Vedic period. He had many names – Vritraham (slayer of Vritra, a demon), Purandara (breaker of forts), and Maghavan (bounteous). There are a total of 250 hymns that were devoted to him. He is also considered the rain God and warlord. Some other names of Indra were Pulushi, Tonan, Atsujit, and Purbhid. The second most important God during the Early Vedic period was Agni (Fire Goddess). A total of 200 hymns were devoted to Agni. People believed Agni to be an intermediary between them and the Gods. They believed that the offerings they gave to Agni were transmitted to the Gods in the form of smoke. The third most important God of the Early Vedic period was Varuna. He was believed as the upholder of cosmic law, and therefore, it was believed that he regulated all activities in the universe. Some other Gods of this period were Rudra (God of animals), Dyaus (the oldest God), Yama (God of death), Aditi (mother of Gods), Ashwin (God of youth, immorality, and health), and Sindhu (Goddess of the river).

Conclusion

The Early Vedic people worshipped the natural forces. They believed in a total of thirty-three Gods and Goddesses. Their Gods were divided into three categories – terrestrial, aerial, and celestial. They composed hymns and offered sacrifice as a means of worshipping their Gods. Even though they believed in many Gods, Henotheism or Katheneotheism is found in their hymns, that is, they worshipped one God but did not deny the others. The Early Vedic people did not build any temples or shrines, as they did not believe in idol worship. They believed that once a person dies, the soul travels to Pitralok, where it is punished or rewarded according to its deeds. In other words, they believed in the concept of Karma. Some important Gods and Goddesses of the period were Indra, Agni, and Varuna. Indra was the God of Rain, Agni was the Goddess of Fire, and Varuna was the administrator of Cosmic Law.